Rafael Nadal's knee condition improving

Rafael Nadal’s knee condition only seems to get better as the Spanish workhorse advanced to round three of the Australian open after he dismissed Haas, with straight sets 6-4, 6-3 and 6-4 on the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday.

The Spanish second seed feared a withdrawal pain as he heard his right joint crack ahead of the tournament on Sunday that left him with an “unbelievable pain”.

But he was feeling much better with his body now and is happy with his run in the Australian open.

“It is much better and I am so happy the knee is improving and I am able to play without pain,” he said.

Reflecting on the scoreline, he said, “I don’t know if it was the perfect match but I won in three sets.”

However, Nadal said that this particular game wasn’t an indicator of his fitness level. “It was positive but not that demanding (physically). We didn’t play for four or five hours.”

His opponent today, Haas, a former world number two and three times a semi-finalist in Melbourne, was blown away in the early stages but did occasionally give glimpses of his best self.

Only in the final set did the 33-year old advance with a 3-1 lead only to see Nadal hit back and close out a straight-sets win, but the Spaniard was quick to pay tribute to his opponent.

“He’s a fantastic player. He’s had a lot of injuries the last couple of years but it’s always great to play Tommy.”

Rafael Nadal also added thought, Haas, 33, shouldn’t consider retirement right now.

“He’s thinking about retiring but I thought he played well this afternoon.”

The Spaniard reached the last 32 of the Australian Open following Switzerland’s Roger Federer, who did it without eve hitting a ball, as Andreas Beck, his opponent today, withdrew following a back-injury, handing Federer a walkover.